Royal Manticoran Navy
The Royal Manticoran Navy (or RMN) was the main military force for the Star Kingdom of Manticore. The Navy was controlled by the Lords of Admiralty and used a Manticore day as the standard for the fleet. Its officers were trained at the Saganami Island Academy. Ships of the RMN use the prefix HMS (His/Her Majesty's Ship). The RMN's motto was fortitudo, fidelitas, decus ("Courage, Faith, Honor"). History The Royal Manticoran Navy's genesis could be traced back to before Manticore's official colonization. The initial fund raising for the colony expedition was so successful that there were surplus funds which were used to create the Manticore Colony Trust. The MCT was used to help protect the colonists' interests as they made their way from the Sol System to Manticore. Part of this fund was used to build four frigates to protect the system from claim jumpers. These frigates would later form the nucleus of the Royal Manticoran Navy. During the reign of Queen Adrienne I, Commodore Edward Saganami took [[HMS Nike|HMS Nike]] to a fight to the death in order to protect a convoy against a pirate attack. His death not only protected the convoy, but also destroyed several times his own tonnage. Saganami's final battle set the "Saganami tradition", which the RMN followed ever since. In the late 1890s PD and the early 1900s PD, the Navy went through a series of expansions to help counter the growing People's Republic of Haven threat. In 1900 PD, the Navy still had enough command-level officers to fill the ranks. The navy received a Case: Zulu, the code for an imminent invasion , from [[HMS Fearless (CL-56)|HMS Fearless]] at Basilisk. In 1903 PD, the RMN destroyer, [[HMS Madrigal|HMS Madrigal]] fought at the First Battle of Yeltsin's Star with the Grayson Space Navy. ( ) :For details on the incorporation of the Silesian Confederate Navy, see: Silesian Navy remains under RMN command. Admiralty :See: Manticoran Admiralty Administrative Districts * Home System Districts: ** Manticore Fleet District – basis for Home Fleet, ** Gryphon Fleet District – basis for 2nd Fleet, * Stations – administrative basis for independent task forces located there: ** Basilisk – established in 1901 PDInitilally 3rd Fleet was planned to be created and stationed there, however finally it was created for the Trevor's Star cover; until 1901 PD, only a limited picket was allowed in the Basilisk System. (HH1) ** Hancock, established in 1904 PD (HH3) ** Elric (HH9) ** Silesia, established in 1921 PD (HH11, SI1) ** Grendelsbane, established before 1905 PD (HH5, HH10) ** Reevesport, established before 1905 PD ** Sidemore, established in 1911 PD (HH10) ** Talbot, established before 1905 PD (HH3) ** Talbott, established in 1919 PD (SI1) ** Clairmont, established before 1905 PD * Manticore Wormhole Junction Termini Defence Commands – in charge of small pickets and orbital forts covering termini area: ** Gregor (HH6) ** Hennessy ** Matapan Branches :See: Admiralty - Branches Independent Operational Formations Fleets * Home Fleet – main defensive force for the Manticore System and strategic reserve fleet * Second Fleet – temporary fleet formed in 1905 PD for the defence of Yeltsin's Starthird battle of Yeltsin, CO Admiral Hamish Alexander ( ). Gradually dissolved until 1907 PD ( ). According to Jayne's, historical base of the Second Fleet was Gryphon. * Third Fleet – defensive force for the Trevor's Star System ( , )Initially, the Third Fleet was planned for Basilisk System, when it was incorporated (JIR1) * Sixth Fleet – main offensive Allied force during the early stages of the First Havenite-Manticoran War ( ) * Eighth Fleet – main offensive Allied force from 1911 PD to 1921 PD ( - ) * Tenth Fleet – naval force assigned to the RMN Talbott Station ( ) Independent Task Forces * Task Forces assigned to RMN Stations, * Task Force Minette-01 ( ) Independent Task Groups *Task Group 1037 - anti-piracy unit sent to the Silesian Confederacy. ( ) Tactics By 1900 PD, there were two schools of tactics. The first school was the traditionalists lead by Admiral of the Green Hamish Alexander. The second school was the jeune ecole, which was lead by Admiral of the Red Lady Sonja Hemphill. The jeune ecole viewed the tactics of the time as indecisive, so formalized that waging a decisive campaign was nearly impossible with current weapons. Admiral Hemphill and her group theorized that the growing number of better weapons and technology would make the traditionalist view outdated and outmoded. The traditionalists viewed the jeune ecole's material warfare approach as expensive and wasteful, and were horrified at the loss of life the jeune ecole were willing to embrace in order to achieve that superiority. The RMN has managed to steer a middle course between the two (though not without bitter infighting), with carefully considered new technologies adopted into existing schools of tactical thought. * Hotel-Eight - Hotel-Eight was used in offensive moves. ( ) * Yankee-Two - Yankee-Two was used to evade incoming missiles by hiding their emission signature near a larger friendly vessel. ( ) * Yankee-Three - Yankee-Three was used to evade incoming missiles by rolling up towards the enemy vessel. ( ) * Zulu-Two - Zulu-Two was a maneuver used to evade incoming missiles. In 1903 PD, the [[HMS Fearless (CA-286)|HMS Fearless]] performed a Zulu-Two, when attacked by Navy of Masada LACs. ( ) * The use of Recon Drones are an integral part of the RMN's defensive strategies. ( ) * Plan Able - Plan Able was a maneuver used to evade incoming missiles while in a fleet formation. In 1903 PD, Captain Harrington initiated Plan Able against a barrage of missiles in the Battle of Blackbird. ( ) * Plan Delta - Plan Delta was a maneuver used to evade incoming missiles. ( ) Contingency Planning Like all navies, the RMN performed a vast amount of contingency planning in order to be prepared for eventualities that could possibly arise in the future. These plans included: *Case Lacoon One - The closure of all wormhole nexii under RMN control to Solarian traffic. (HH12) *Case Lacoon Two - The escalation of Lacoon One through the use of active commerce raiding and the extension of de facto Manticoran control to every wormhole nexii within the RMN's reach regardless of that nexii's ownership was Manticoran or not. (HH12) Duties The RMN is primarily a maritime navy. The RMN has been protecting the Manticore Wormhole Junction and the junction's termini since the junction's discovery. This means of travel have given the RMN an edge against other national navies, primarily the Republic of Haven Navy, as well as a huge economic edge in interstellar trade. Because of the high volume of trade, the RMN is more traveled than most as it deploys many of its light and medium combatants for commerce protection. The RMN was responsible for the support of Basilisk Traffic Control, in charge of customs, to inspect all vessels and material to and from Medusa, to support the Resident Commissioner for Planetary Affairs and the Native Protection Agency, to ensure the safety of the native people of Medusa and the visitors to Medusa, and to ensure the security to the system from all threats. The RMN is responsible for health and immunization of every visitor to the planet, Medusa. In 1901 PD, the RMN enlarged the picket force at Basilisk. Uniforms Officers Uniforms consisted of tunic, blouse, and pants. The tunic was black and gold with the rank strips on the epaulets and the wrists. On the collar of the tunic, the rank was displayed. The left front side of the tunic was used to display medals, hyper-capable command stars, and other. Officers who currently commanded a hyper-capable vessel wore the White Command Berets. Flag officers wore black berets, with the exception of the commander of the [[HMS Unconquered|HMS Unconquered]], who wore the white beret. Originally, officers wore a visored cap, but it was replaced by the beret in the middle of the 18th Century PD. ( ) In 1900 PD, female officers wore their hair in the newer long style. Blood red sleeve stripes could indicate: * Recipients of the Monarch's Thanks Medal * Being wounded in battleSimilar to the Old Earth Allied forces Wound Stripe * Being mentioned in dispatchesThe equivalent of the oak leaf on Old Earth British Commonwealth uniforms. See Mentioned in Despatches ( ) Enlisted Enlisted service uniform was a tailored, one-piece coverall, done in standard Navy black and gold. A nametag was worn on the left breast. Enlisted service uniforms were untrimmed. The trouser seams and shoulders of noncommisioned officers were pickoed out in piping color-coded by branch. Rating insignia were worn on the left sleeve, color coded by department. Specialist insignia were worn on the upper sleeve as a shoulder patch. The Unit patch (name of ship) was worn on the left shoulder. An RMN patch was worn on the right shoulder. Above the left cuff, one hash mark was displayed for every three Manticoran years (5-T years) of service. A black beret was worn by all enlisted and NCO personnel. (JIR1) Decorations * Parliamentary Medal of Valor * Manticore Cross * Osterman Cross * Saganami Cross * Order of Gallantry * Conspicuous Gallantry Medal - Multiple recipients add a Cluster * Distinguished Service Order Fleet strength Prior to the First Havenite-Manticoran War: Other Tidbits * The RMN used the color scarlet for the color of their access tube grab bars. * The dividing line between one ship connected to another in a boat-bay was a line painted on the deck of the bay. You were not officially "on board" a vessel until you had crossed that line. It allowed personnel to exit the boarding tube before formally asking permission to come aboard. ( ) * A tradition before every battle was that the crews were well fed and rested. ( ) Standing Orders Readiness Two Also known as General Quarters, Readiness Two meant that all engineering and life-support systems, CIC, tactical, and passive sensors were manned. Active sensors were placed on immediate readiness, point defense laser clusters were active and under computer control, counter-missile launchers were loaded, passive defensive systems and EW were ready for instant activation, offensive missile tubes were loaded, half the energy mounts were fully manned, with air evacuated, on a rotating basis, and twenty-five percent of the watch would be allowed rest on rotating breaks. ( ) See also * Manticoran Battles External links * Execerpt from a note posted to Baen's Bar Snerkers Only dated November 29, 2005 concerning possible transtermini reinforcements during battle of Manticore of 1921 PD * RMN guide References Manticoran Battles Manticoran Battles Category:Manticoran Battles Category:Manticoran Battles Category:Manticore Category:Military of Manticore Category:Royal Manticoran Navy